


Veilwood, Part 3 (Chapters 12 - 16)

by thecosmicboy



Series: Veilwood [3]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Original Work, Pathfinder (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Dungeons & Dragons, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Brothers, Castles, Dark Fantasy, Demon/Human Relationships, Elves, Horror, Humor, Large Cock, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Minotaurs, Non-Human Humanoid Society, Orcs, Size Difference, Size Kink, Watersports, epic fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:20:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21742858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecosmicboy/pseuds/thecosmicboy
Summary: Part 3 of my on-going series about a boy named Danny who is transported to the Veilwood. A dark, enchanted forest with a rich history and frightening inhabitants. Danny is rescued by a Guardian demon named Fen, and meets his brother Zaden. In these chapters they make their way to Graendal the Forest City and stay a night at the Big Orc Inn. Fen goes to talk to the Elders about Danny and how he might get him home, he leaves Danny in the care of his brother Zaden but things don't go as planned. Danny learns the terrible truth about how demons are summoned.Content warning: there is some attempted non-consensual sex that could be sensitive to some readers, it's not a big part of the story and comes near the end of the last chapter in this part.
Relationships: Original D&D Character(s)/Other(s), Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Series: Veilwood [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1543618
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	Veilwood, Part 3 (Chapters 12 - 16)

## 12.

In the morning Fen drew a bath. The tub was located at the center of the room under a large window that overlooked a beautiful tree grove. The water had an aroma that tingled in Danny’s nose like tea tree or eucalyptus. It was fed by a mechanism that Danny did not recognize, it was a brass cylinder with a hand-pump, at the base was a stone tablet with runes that glowed a faint orange hue. Danny guessed this must be some sort of heating element for the water.

Fen filled the tub a little more than half way and gingerly stepped into the tub and sat down, the water splashed over the sides of the tub as he let out a sigh and laid back. His large muscular arms rested on the flat edges of the simple basin.

Danny got out of the oversized bed and stood by the tub admiring Fen in his large but elegant grace. He was both disbelieving and excited, the thoughts of Fen thrusting and bursting inside him echoing along with the magic spell he’d learned and successfully cast. Fen had also taught him the reversal spell to disperse the smoke, which also, apparently, had a number of useful applications including reversing some minor curses that could be transmitted in clouds or smoke form.

They had stayed up late in the night, practicing until the moon began to set, shrouding them in darkness, “Come pup, let’s go to bed,” Fen had commanded in his gentle way.

In the cool of the night, he’d wrapped his arm around Danny and pulled him in close, enveloping him in his girth. Danny’s heart fluttered involuntarily, he felt safe and protected with Fen.

His musk was a constant reminder of his protection, _Perhaps,_ Danny wondered, _Of his love?_ … _Could demons love like humans? Could a demon love a human?_ He’d have to ask later.

Fen opened one eye, “Getting in pup?” Danny jumped.

Danny, already naked, stepped into the water between Fen’s thighs. It was warm and felt good on his skin as he dropped his body in. He cupped water and poured it on his shoulders, rubbing the water into his neck. Fen watched him as Danny cast him a seductive gaze, biting his lower lip.

Fen growled, “Damn, pup, you’re getting me excited again…” Danny could tell as between his thighs he was beginning to engorge.

Fen put his hand on it and stroked the foreskin under the water, pulling the tip out of the water and flicking it in Danny’s direction causing water to splash him. Danny got excited too, he knelt his head down and kissed the tip of Fen’s cock. Just as he did so a loud bang sounded at the other end of the room causing Danny to sit straight up and shoot his gaze to the disruption. He felt drops on his forehead, he realized Fen was already standing over him and moving his leg to block him from whatever had interrupted their bath.

In the doorway stood Zaden, he was shirtless and obviously hungover, or still drunk, he had a set of keys in one hand and a bone mug in his other hand, “Whoops!” He laughed, covering his mouth as if he’d said something wrong.

“Zaden!” Fen yelled, “What is the meaning of this?”

“Sorry, brother!” Zaden grinned stupidly, “I’d meant to open the door quietly but must have…” He shrugged.

“ _Ugh_ ,” Fen grunted, “I mean, what are you doing in our room?!”

“I just wanted to see what you two dogs were up to, it’s almost noon!”

“We had a late night…” said Danny, peering out from between Fen’s legs.

“I bet!” Said Zaden grinning and laughing.

“We’ll be done soon Zae!” Said Fen returning heat to Zaden.

“But I’m so bored…” Complained Zaden in a whiny voice, “Grog is gonna start telling me his battle stories about the Antroarch War again if I go back down there.”

“Can’t you go read in your room or something?” Fen asked.

“I don’t have any books!” Retorted Zaden.

“Alright fine,” Fen said with a small huff, “But close the door.”

“Of course!” Said Zaden, quickly turning around, keys jangling as he closed the door.

 _You’re going to let him stay?_ Thought Danny, but didn’t think to protest out loud, he just looked up at Fen whose attention was still on his brother.

“Who gave you those anyway?!” Fen asked inquisitively.

Zaden turned around and gave another of his toothy grins, “Let’s just say, for an orc who owns a bar, Grog cannot hold his liquor.”

“Ah, a drinking contest then?” Zaden just laughed and flared his nostrils.

He flung himself down onto the bed, his large size causing tremors to ripple through the water when he hit the bed.

He put his hand in front of him making small circles in the sheets with his large finger, he gazed up at Fen then shot Danny a spicy look, “Don’t let me stop you from whatever you were doing…” His devilish grin creeping even larger on his face.

“We were just finishing,” Fen said grumpily stepping out of the tub, as the water sucked down the drain.

He cast a spell to dry himself, Danny watched as the water droplets steamed off his body.

 _Were we?_ Danny thought.

“ _Awe,_ ” Zaden sighed, “You’re no fun Fen! Don’t you wanna share this one?”

“This one?!” Danny blurted out incredulously.

Fen shot him a pleading look, then looked back to Zaden, “Behave yourself,” he said simply, “ _This one_ is different.”

“ _Oh!”_ Zaden gave Danny a look he couldn’t quite decipher.

Danny felt very vulnerable suddenly, _I’m… different? For Fen… and who are these… others?_ He wasn’t really sure if he should feel jealous or special.

Danny decided to stand, shirking his vulnerability in favor of a little self empowerment, his wet supple body gleamed in the sunlight. He stepped out of the tub and to Fen’s side, careful not to slip in his moment of pride.

“Thanks Fen,” Danny said wrapping his wet arm around Fen’s, “I’m–” he suddenly felt lost for words.

Zaden raised an eyebrow, “I’m obviously special to Fen, and he’s special to me too,” Danny looked up at Fen tenderly.

Fen shot him a glance and a smile creeped at the corner of his lips.

Zaden just stared for a moment in disbelief, “ _Woo!”_ He yelped finally, and laughed sitting up and punching the bed, “I guess this explains why Fen has been so…” he shot Fen a glance, “Protective lately.”

Fen just snorted.

Zaden jumped out of the bed and grabbed Fen by the shoulders and looked intensely in his eyes, “Brother, I’m not judging you,” He looked at Danny and back to Fen putting his forehead on Fen’s, “He’s sweet and…” he shut his eyes for a moment admitting, “Very cute. I just hope you know what you’re getting yourself into here. I want only the best for you, and Danny. Humans are forbidden. You know this.”

“I know,” said Fen closing his eyes and opening them to return Zaden’s stare.

Zaden released Fen’s shoulders and the tension in the room died down a little.

“I just want to get him home,” said Fen sighing as if letting something go.

“I want to go home,” said Danny, _I think…_

“Good,” said Zaiden appraising them both, “I think it would be for the best,” suddenly more serious than Danny had ever seen him, “and no problem with some _fun_ in the meantime!” he continued more lightheartedly, but Danny could see a twinge of regret on his face.

Zaden sniffed the air, “Speaking of… fun,” his devilish grin returning, “Don’t we need to…” he stared down at Danny and mimed wiping out his cock waving at him, leaning back as if taking a piss.

“ _We?”_ said Fen laughing, “I don’t remember you helping last time.”

Danny gulped and stared, he could feel himself getting slightly erect thinking about it though, “ _Uhhh,”_ he started.

Fen must have sensed his unease, “You’ll make him smell like a tavern!”

“Awe come on’ I can tell he wouldn’t mind,” Zaden said conspiratorially looking from Fen down to Danny’s cock which was almost fully erect now.

Fen looked at Danny and gave him a serious look, “You want that Danny?” he put his arm around his shoulder protectively.

Danny looked at the floor sheepishly, “I guess the more coverage the better?” he tittered, excitement continuing to flow to his groin.

He looked up at Fen to judge his expression, it was his usual pensive look but more quizzical his eyes had a glimmer of deviant pleasure in Danny’s response.

Zaden must have seen it too, “Oh boy!” Zaden clapped his hands together giddily, “You’re kind of a bad boy, aren’t you? No wonder my brother likes you so much,” he grabbed Fen’s shoulder and Fen playfully batted him, letting a stupid grin light his face.

“Get back in the tub, pup,” commanded Fen, without looking at him, awaiting Danny’s obedience.

Danny obliged, getting in the tub, shivering from the cold, and his nerves. The two lumbering figured stepped toward the tub, towering over Danny. Zaden pulled down his pants revealing his thick red hairy thighs and a huge, half-hard cock. He grabbed it and looked at Danny deviously, the skin pulled back revealing a deep red head. Fen shuffled over so he was hip to hip with Zaden, both of their cocks pointed at Danny. Zaden’s was even longer than Fen’s, but not quite as girthy, though both were formidable. Danny salivated.

Zaden slapped his cock with his free hand causing it to get a little bigger and harder, though still not fully erect, he looked directly at Danny with his piercing blue eyes, “It’s okay pup, admire it, admire my brother’s cock,” Fen said.

Zaden chuckled and put his hand on the back of Danny’s head, pulling his face close to it, “Yea, even bigger than lil’ Fen’s, huh?”

Fen snorted and rolled his eyes.

Danny took in great whiffs of Zaden’s musk, it was similar to Fen’s but also different, equally intoxicating. He looked up at Fen who stared down approvingly as Danny buried his face in Zaden’s hairy groin. Danny carefully reached up and grabbed a handful of Zaden’s cock then moved to the tip, opening his mouth. Zaden put his hand on his hip and let out a long groan. A hot torrent of his piss blasted Danny’s tongue, he had to spit to keep it from drowning him.

“ _Aha,_ yea…” sighed Zaden.

His piss tasted sweet and, _Yes, a bit like a bar tap_ , Danny thought.

Fen joined him with a sigh as the tip of his cock exploded with a hot stream of demon urine, dousing Danny’s chest. Danny loved the feeling, it was warm and ripe and so deviant, it felt so wrong but so good to be smothered in the streams of the two. He let it in and out of his mouth and all over his body, rubbing it on himself and wetting his hair with it.

His cock was pulsing, he touched it and stroked only a few times before bursting hot strings of cum all over the basin. He leaned back and moaned as he did, letting their piss wash his cum down the drain.

When the two streams finally stopped Zaden slapped Fen on the back and said, “I can see why Fen… I can see why,” He laughed and pulled up his pants, giving Danny a wink.

“You can rinse off pup, I think we’ve saturated you enough.”

## 13.

“I will go to the Elders and ask them about Danny,” stated Fen as they left the tavern, “Danny obviously can’t come to the Inner Circle. Can you watch him Zae?” Fen looked at Zae with a pleading look.

“Of course, I’ll take care of your _pup_ ,” Zaden said nearly rolling his eyes, he stood behind Danny and grabbed him by the shoulders, “He’ll be safe with me.”

“Also… I was thinking it might make sense to bring him to Jeneba.”

“Jeneba? The soothsayer?” Zaden face contorted as if he had a bad taste in his mouth.

“He might have some insights,” said Fen.

“He might have an excuse to make us come back with more gold,” Zaden scoughed.

“I know he’s miserly but… he knows things, maybe he knows something about… Earth,” Fen looked at Danny for confirmation, to which Danny nodded his head.

“Is he… a friend?” Danny asked curiously.

“He’s an aldran outcast, out to make it where he can cut it,” stated Zaden, cutting off Fen.

“He’s from the Astral Realm,” said Fen calmly, “He may have…” He looked up at the sky, searching for the word, “Dubious methods, but his knowledge is only paralleled by the Elders in terms of arcana and Forgotten Realms.”

“For a small fortune,” said Zaden sighing.

“I’ll pay, let me know if this isn’t enough,” Fen placed some coins from his purse in Zadens hand, then took out a few more when Zaden gave him a glance.

“Maybe take him to Derida’s first and see if you can have some clothes tailored for him… and a pair of boots. Might help him be less conspicuous,” he glanced at Danny and then his sneakers.

Danny blushed, “I guess that would be best.”

“Sure, anything else you need your highness? Perhaps I should show him the local brothel?” Zaden gave a sarcastic bow, with a flourish, looking up at Fen after it’s completion.

Fen stooped down so he was eye-to-eye with Danny, “He’s a knucklehead,” he glanced at Zaden who gave him a theatrically astonished look, Fen put his heavy arm on Danny’s shoulder, “But I trust him with my life, and yours…”

“Keep him away from the brothel, behave yourself and…” Fen gave Zaden a serious look, “Take care of him,” Fen patted Zaden on the back, “I’ll be back by sundown. We can meet back here.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him _,_ ” Zaden assured Fen again, pulling Danny toward him, “Just stay near me and everything will be okay,” looking down at him.

“Good,” said Fen, “I’ll be on my way then…” he sighed and gave Zaden one last serious look, “Sundown,” he reminded him as he turned and walked away briskly.

They watched him go until he turned down the street, Zaden’s hands still on Danny’s shoulders. They were hot and heavy, but Danny had gotten pretty used to the way the demons naturally asserted a sort of paternal control physically. Danny could feel the heat from Zaden’s breath and his bare stomach just grazing the hairs on the back of his neck.

“Alright then Danny, let’s get you some new clothes,” Zaden turned and slapped him on the back gently, “I think she’s still over in the Lower Vines District, we can walk if you don’t mind.”

“Sure,” said Danny realizing suddenly that his leg must have healed entirely.

***

They took a different route than they’d taken before, away from the Centerforge. They travelled through a couple of districts, apart from the Centerforge it appeared that each district was primarily controlled by different races. They passed through an elven area called Greenveil, which had some of the tallest buildings Danny had seen yet, they were built aside, or sometimes integrated with, large trees with deep grooves in its bark. Zaden told Danny there was an elven university here, renown for its archery program, but because of that also elven archery gangs which sometimes caused trouble in the city.

“Do you have police?” Danny asked.

“Police?” The word seemed foreign to Zaden, he said it slowly to make sure he’d heard right.

“Like an authority to make sure the people are safe, break up gang violence, stuff like that.”

“Oh! Well, that’s us. I mean, Guardians. After we were summoned for the Woods War, some went back to Hel, but others stayed behind to create the first Coven to protect the Veilwood and Graendal. We have an agreement with the Council and Rathma, we are sworn to protect at their leisure.”

“So whatever Rathma says goes?” asked Danny, remembering Rathma from his history lesson from the night before.

“Essentially,” Zaden explained, “I guess, the Elders aren’t technically part of the Council, Demons have no sovereignty on Uruth, but we don’t serve blindly either. The Elders work out deals with the Council to make sure that we are serving only to the betterment of the Veilwood. Rathma has the final say, of course.”

“So Ratham, is he a king?” Danny asked.

Zaden chuckled, “ _They_ are a group of Ents, very old and very wise, I’m not sure if they’d fall under the definition of Kingship.”

“If _they_ are a group, can _they_ disagree with each other?” Danny asked.

Zaden thought about it for a moment, “I don’t know! I’m just a _police_!” he said finally, using Danny’s term, which Danny laughed at, “I’ve never seen them, but I’ve heard they are very smart.”

Zaden asked Danny some questions about Earth, and seemed genuinely curious. Particularly they talked about Presidents and democracy, Danny tried his best to explain the electoral college and congress, but he was admittedly not the best teacher and Zaden was ultimately confused.

“So, everyone votes for a _president_ but then they have to have other people take those votes and vote again?” Zaden thumbed his beard.

“I guess… yea, basically,” said Danny not feeling entirely confident.

They made their way through another district, this time with squat residences made of clay, dirt and soft stone, all of the buildings were low and small. The paths became narrow and eerily quiet, Danny though he saw a short hooded figure with a tail cross between buildings ahead. Zaden quietly explained they were passing through a Seetan enclave, they were nocturnal so not much activity during the day.

“Is it safe to walk through here?” Danny asked nervously.

“No problem, but best to make haste,” Zaden looked around judging their surroundings.

After the Seetan area, the streets became wide again and pedestrians from many different races were walking around, Danny thought he might have even seen a human carrying a crate of apples, he turned his head to look as they passed.

Zaden noticed and grabbed his shoulder, making Danny jump, “Don’t stare boy,” he said quietly in a low rumbling tone.

“Was that a human?” Danny whispered.

“Might have been,” Zaden replied once they were out of earshot, “This is the Lower Vines, closest Graenal comes to the ancient human territories, but if there are humans here they’ve long forsaken their humanity,” Zaden spoke darkly, “I wouldn’t count on them to be fast friends.”

“Is Derida human? Why is she all the way out here?” Danny asked.

“No! She’s an orc, I think she does trade with humans though,” Zaden assured him, “She works a lot with the Covens, she’s a friend.”

“That reminds me,” Danny said carefully, “I had a question… about demons, well and about Fen…”

“Yea, what’s that?” Zaden looked back at Danny.

“Well, is it weird that Fen… well, that he likes me and I’m a, you know, a boy, and…” _A human,_ Danny thought but trailed off.

Zaden caught his drift and laughed politely, “Well most demons are pansexual, meaning, their sexual preferences are very open… Now my brother Fen in particular does tend to prefer,” he coughed superfluously, then laughed under his breath, “Well… little guys, like you.”

“Has he had a lot of,” Danny paused, “ _little guys?_ ”

“ _Awe,_ you’re not the jealous type are you? Demons don’t really have that in their blood but I’ve heard human kingdoms have fallen to jealousy–” Zaden started.

“I’m not jealous!” Danny cut him off stubbornly, “I guess I’m just… curious about Fen’s past.”

“ _Uh huh_ ,” Zaden nodded, “Well, Fen is young for a demon, but still older than most mortals, and he’s never gone for elves,” Zaden thought about it, “Too dominant, I think.”

Danny smiled timidly, “Are there women demons?”

Zaden laughed, “Yes, but not many in Uruth, they’re too big and less amenable to Guardianship.”

“Do…” Danny started to ask a question but Zaden could pick up on where the conversation was going.

“Yes,” He laughed, “Of course we procreate, but that only happens in Hel. It’s a bit of a mess...” he added without explaining more.

“ _Huh_ ,” Danny said, “And do you have… partnerships? Marriage?”

“Not marriage,” stated Zaden, “We do have bonding ceremonies, and altruma, but the Elders think marriage creates uneven power structures in society, we are ultimately here to protect the forest…” He sighed and laughed, “And sure, have sex with it sometimes! But demon marriage is forbidden, even in Hel.”

Suddenly Zaden stopped.

## 14.

Danny had been gawking at a sculpture of a chimera they had passed while interrogating Zaden about demon relationships and ran right into him, “Here we are,” he said cheerfully.

They stood in front of a crude brick building, with a large sign that read, _One-Stop Tailor, Gnomes to Giants Served Here_ , it had a large wooden door and glass windows, in the large door there was a small door, Danny assumed, for shorter patrons. Zaden rang a bell that triggered subsequent bells along the side of the door.

The door opened and a very busty young woman, who looked altogether human to Danny’s eyes, _Except the green skin…_ he waved dumbly, but didn’t take off his hood, she scrunched her nose and squinted her eyes.

She had a simply cut mauve dress and modern looking jewelry: a large necklace with a white square encircled by a bronze circlet and square white earrings to match. They were striking against her pitch black hair, which she kept tucked behind her pointed ears. Danny thought she was actually quite beautiful, for a woman. Zaden stepped in front of him.

“Zaden!” She said with open arms, “Welcome! Come in, is Coven Anterdom already out of uniforms? I know you busted through the last pair of pants, but you don’t even wear the shirt, you show off!”

“Hey,” Zaden flexed his muscles and posed, “Gotta make sure they know what’s coming!”

“Who?! Wild Snakes or meeri girls?” Derida laughed, “And who's this? Doesn’t look like a demon to me,” she reached to lift Danny’s hood, and he stepped back defensively.

“It’s okay Danny, like I said, a friend,” Zaden assured him.

Danny lifted his hood and let the cloak fall to the floor. Derida let out a short gasp, but then raised an eyebrow and put her hand on her hip, looking at Zaden, “What’s this?” gesturing at Danny.

He wasn’t sure if she was angry or just confused.

“It’s kind of a long story but we think he’s lost and we’re trying to get him home,” explained Zaden.

“Why don’t you just send him to Gastel or Foldlen, it’s right there,” she gestured wildly.

“We don’t think he’s from there…” Zaden defended, “we think he might be from a Forgotten Realm.”

“ _Pshh,_ ” Derida hissed, “I didn’t think demons were so gullible.”

“I didn’t think you disliked humans so much!” said Zaden, picking up on some obvious resentment.

“I don’t!” Derida, now on the defensive, took a deep breath and sighed, “I guess I have a history with humans, but no reason why he should be like any of _them…_ ” Zaden gave her a quizzical look.

She looked Danny up and down, “Awfully scrawny for a human… they must not feed you wherever you came from.”

Danny opened his mouth to defend himself but then thought better of it.

“Listen,” Zaden said, “Fen found him in the Second Circle, caught in a drow net, alone, with no weapons, no pack, and these,” Fen gestured down to Danny’s shoes.

This sparked Derida’s interest, she raised her other eyebrow and stooped down to inspect Danny’s shoes, and then his pants. She grabbed his pant leg, Danny did his best not to resist the prodding.

“ _Hmm, oh_ ,” Derida was suddenly very interested, “what in the… what is this material?” She stretched t-shirt and pulled at the waistline on his jeans, “The craftsmanship is… meticulous. If pixies did this, it’s not any type I’ve ever met,” she continued her exploration, “but then it looks like these have been fixed by menders?”

Zaden chuckled, “I’m telling you, I’m not making this shit up. I think Fen had to make some repairs.”

“Well, the pants and shirt I could see maybe, but these,” she knelt down poked at Danny’s shoes, which made him draw back his foot.

“They’re Converse,” it was the first thing he’d said since they entered, “and the pants and t-shirt are from … Target I think?” He was pretty sure his mom had bought him the jeans before his trip.

Derida, stood back and appraised him, she sniffed and scrunched her nose, “He stinks.”

Zaden scratched the back of his head and gave Derida a guilty smile, “We had to _uh_ , cover his scent.”

“ _Huh_ well, I guess I’m convinced, or at least that he’s not from anywhere around here. So, he’s got magic future clothes, what do you need me for?”

Zaden laughed again, “We were hoping to make him less… conspicuous, you know blend him into the local culture a little more.”

“What are your plans with him?” asked Derida suspiciously.

“Just to get him home, but he might need to hang out in Graendal for a bit while we figure out how to do that… Fen is talking to the Elders now.”

“I see, sounds reasonable... I guess,” she eyed Danny again and paused for a moment longer than Danny felt comfortable, “Alright! Human sizes though, will cost you a little extra, especially one so... scrawny.”

Danny winced, Zaden just laughed, “Don’t worry about that, you know I’m good for it.”

“ _Mmhm,_ okay kid, come over here, what’s your name anyway?” She asked gesturing for him to come closer.

“Danny,” he said.

“Alright Danny, I’m Derida, and I’m the best damn tailor in this city, so let’s do this,” she tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear that had gotten loose.

“Okay,” Danny smiled, “what do I need to do?” He’d never had clothes made for him before.

Derida reached into a concealed pouch at the front of her dress, “Measurements first,” she pulled a long thin reed out and unrolled it between her arms, “Take this off,” she gestured at his shirt.

Danny did as he was told, she looked down at his pants, “Those too,” Danny thought he saw a glimmer of curiosity in her eyes.

He took off his shirt, shoes and pants, so he was standing in his white briefs, which at this point were sagging and probably needed to be washed.

 _“Gah!”_ Derida exclaimed, “What are these?!”

“Underwear,” replied Danny.

“Underwear? Like undergarments?” Derida pulled at the elastic band, causing Danny to flinch when they snapped back, “I like it… but they’re…” she coughed, “Filthy,” perhaps noticing the yellowish stain that was beginning to form.

She pulled a short knife out of her pocket and thrust toward Danny, he jumped back but not before Derida’s quick hands cut the elastic band of the underwear causing them to tear off of Danny’s body when he jumped back. He instinctively covered his privates.

She laughed, “Don’t worry I won’t cut ya, I’m just gonna…”

Danny looked at Zaden for protection, Zaden only chuckled and smiled, from the look in his eyes Danny thought Zaden might be enjoying this.

“...Put these somewhere safe…” Derida threw the soiled underwear on the floor, “Now quit covering yourself, stand up straight, and let me take some measurements, I’ve seen it all before.”

When Danny did as he was told she glanced down and gave Zaden look, Zaden just watched curiously. Danny huffed with embarrassment, but stood straight and tried to let Derida do her work as quickly as possible.

When she measured around his waist, she noticed the scar tissue, “What happened here?”

“Fen says he was nicked by a drow spear,” said Zaden.

“Lucky it wasn’t poisoned,” Derida said, looking at Danny.

It took only a few measurements, she went over to a small table to used something that looked like an abacus to set them, “That should do it.”

“Fidgety guy isn’t he Zaden?” Derida seemed to relish talking about Danny as if he wasn’t in the room.

Zaden laughed, “Awe leave him be, I think he’s been through a lot. He’s a tough kid.”

Danny felt his heart warm and rise in his throat with the little bit of praise he got from Zaden. Demons seemed to have a way of doing that to him.

“Can I…” Danny glanced at his pants, feeling suddenly even more naked than he had before.

“Sure!” said Derida, “So what’ll it be, just cloth or some leathers too? I’ll replace his shorts too of course, maybe with something that will last.”

“I think a couple of simple shirts and pants, then a leather vest and bracers would be good,” Derida took down the order on a sheet with a small quill pen, “Oh! And a holster for this,” Zaden reached into this pack and pulled out the short bow that Fen had made for him, it looked like a toy in his hands.

“Pretty ad hoc don’t you think,” Derida examined it and placed it on her workbench making some measurements, “But with an enchanted string?”

“Just in case,” Zaden said, “Nearly shot me with it.”

Derida looked from Danny to Zaden suspiciously.

“ _Mhm,_ ” after measuring the bow for the sling she glanced down at Zaden’s pants, they were certainly roughed up and there was a patch on his knee, “You need a new pair of pants Zaden? I know you won’t wear the shirt.”

Zaden grimaced, “No, I’m okay for now, Derida.”

“Alright…” she trailed off going over her notes, “Come by tomorrow morning, I’ll have something for you.”

Danny struggled to pull his pants up then carefully zipped up and put his shirt and cloak back on, feeling good to be surrounded by clothes again.

“Great!” Zaden said, already walking toward Danny to usher him, “We’ll see you then.”

When they were outside the door of Derida’s shop, it was already past noon.

Zaden stretched his arms over his head and rubbed his belly, “I’m getting hungry! We should head back to the Big Orc, we can see crazy ol’ Jeneba tomorrow after we pick up your clothes.”

## 15.

The journey back seemed faster than the one there, Danny was getting hungry too, and he’d had enough of being prodded for today so he was relieved when Zaden said they should go back to the Big Orc. Plus it would mean he’d get to see Fen as soon as he got back. Maybe he’d have some information for them about how to get him home. Home wasn’t Danny’s only thought though. Thoughts of Fen’s big hairy body over him, thrusting into him, filled Danny’s mind as they walked, making him need to adjust his jeans, especially now that he was going commando.

Zaden lectured Danny about different criminal organizations in Graendal, correlating each area they passed through with their respective gang activity, “...the Wild Snakes are an underground organization of Seetans, they started as a sewage union but started forming a _halluspen_ cartel when the Council lowered their wages for municipalities…”

Danny chimed in after not talking for a while, “ _Halluspen?_ ”

“It’s a drug that, apparently, makes the user forget all their worries, forget everything in fact, also highly addictive, doesn’t work on demons…” Zaden explained.

As they passed back through Greenveil Zaden told Danny about how elves were more cunning in their crimes. They had lots of influence in the Council due to their long lives, manipulating the system from the inside.

“Orcs are usually at the short end of the stick,” he explained to Danny. “They don’t live as long as elves, so they used it against them. Doesn’t help that after the breaking there were bitter rivalries still resonating between their gods, and thus between the races.”

“But orcs made the pact with demons to end the Woods War,” Danny remembered.

“Yea…” Zaden sighed, “It’s complicated. There’s a stigma, because of their past…”

“A stigma?” Danny asked.

“Well...” Zaden coughed and lowered his voice, “It’s not true, but there are people who think orcs are… you know, not smart.”

Danny caught his drift, “What do you mean their past?”

“Just that they have a war torn history, orcs are good at fighting, and they love to do it, but they are good at other things too. I mean, Derida, for instance, she’s brilliant!”

Danny wanted to ask more, but he could see the inn on the horizon and didn’t want to pry on a sensitive subject, especially in earshot of others.

When the got to the inn Grog welcomed them, with his big tusks and huge presence Danny compared him in his mind with Derida. He couldn’t help but notice how different they were. They’d seen other orcs around town, and none of them looked quite as human as Derida had, Danny wondered if she wasn’t part human. They had a simple dinner of bread and stew that was hearty and filling, but could have used salt. Danny asked quietly Zaden about Derida being part human.

Zaden thought about it, “I don’t know, I guess I never asked. There are certainly half-orcs, humans and orcs have been known to, _ahem,_ ” he gave him a devilish look, “But it’s a little rude to ask don’t you think?”

Danny supposed so. They finished their meal, at which point it was getting near sundown so they brought their beers outside to a small patio with a simple wooden bench. The air was warm and balmy, there was a pleasant breeze as the sun was headed toward the horizon.

“What time of year is it? Is this summer?” Danny asked.

“It’s spring!” said Zaden.

“It’s spring on earth too,” Said Danny thinking of home, “Do the… Other Realms have seasons?”

“Some of them, not really like Uruth. Because there’s so much power here, the seasons are more turbulent,” Zaden explained.

Danny and Zaden chatted a laughed, Zaden was in some ways much easier to talk to than Fen. Fen was a more strong-silent type it seemed, where Zaden was full of pontification and stories that made Danny laugh.

They waited, and waited. Hours after sundown, Zaden had been consistently refilling his giant mug, Danny was barely able to finish two, they were the size of pitchers and the drink was strong.

Danny realized suddenly that he was pretty drunk, “Do you think I’ll ever get home,” he asked blearily.

“ _Awe,_ ” Zaden put his big arm around Danny and pulled him close looking down at him, “Of course, with Fen on the case, I’m sure… we’ll figure out… something,” he didn’t sound so sure.

Danny felt heavy in his throat and let out a small sob which turned into a big sob, “Oh no! It’s ok,” Zaden assured him, pulling him even closer. Danny buried his face in Zaden’s bare chest, he could feel tears streaming down his skin.

“Sorry,” Danny sniffled trying to get ahold of himself, wishing Fen was here, but glad for Zaden’s comfort.

Danny looked up at Zaden and suddenly felt very dizzy.

“Where is that guy?” Zaden asked, looking around, “We should get you inside.”

“Zaden…” Danny started but before he was able to finish he wretched on the ground.

“Ah…” Zaden got up quickly and kicked some dirt over the spot where Danny threw up.

“Sorry! I…” Danny said.

“It’s ok–” Zaden helped Danny up.

Before he knew it Danny was laying down on a bed, it was similar in size to the one he’d been in the night before, but the room was definitely smaller, barely containing the oversized bed. He was lying on it, fully clothed, except Zaden must have taken off his sneakers. He wasn’t anywhere to be seen though.

Danny pushed himself up, there was a bucket on the ground by the bed, he called out, “Zaden?”

Silence answered but after a minute the door flew open, “Hey!” Zaden’s booming voice, “Feeling better?” he asked.

“A little…” The room wasn’t spinning but he had a killer headache.

“Here drink this,” Danny took a small mug from Zaden, it was full of a thick green liquid.

“What is it?” Danny asked.

“Antimeade, Grog whipped some up for you,” Zaden said gesturing for Danny to drink it.

Danny looked suspiciously and took a sip, it was very bitter, but Zaden insisted and Danny drank the whole thing. It wasn’t totally unpleasant, the first sip was the hardest, it reminded Danny of wheatgrass or kombucha.

“Good,” Zaden handed him a flask, “Now wash it down with this,” Danny looked at him exasperated, “It’s just water!” he assured.

“What time is it? Any sign of Fen?” Danny asked after gulping the fresh cool water which felt good in his throat.

Out the window the Danny could see the moon high in the horizon, _How long have I been out?_

“No,” Zaden sighed, “I’m sure he’s fine, the Inner Circle is too close for him to get into trouble… he probably just has to wait for the Elders to respond, they can be very indecisive,” he reassured, placing a hand on Danny’s shoulder.

“I’m… sorry about earlier,” Danny said looking into Zadens crisp blue eyes.

Zaden laughed, “Not at all, I should have been more careful with you, meade is strong, and I’m a lot bigger than you. If anything happened to you Danny, Fen would have my hide.”

That reassured Danny, and it felt good to have Fen’s protection, even though he wasn’t there with them.

“We should get some sleep… is it ok if I–” Zaden glanced down at the bed.

Danny thought about the last time a demon invited him to sleep in the same bed, devious thoughts, _Would Fen be jealous? Zaden said demons don’t have it in their blood… but Fen had also been “protective,” in Zadens words,_ thinking about the possibilities made Danny’s head spin again.

“Of course not,” he said, not wanting to be impolite.

“Great,” Zaden flopped down on his side of the bed without hesitation causing the frame to creek under his weight.

They laid there awkwardly for a few minutes, “He’ll be here, probably in the morning,” assured Zaden, “Don’t worry.”

Danny said nothing, he just laid facing away from Zaden in silence.

“Would it help to…” Zaden turned and hovered his hand over Danny’s side and made mock thrusting motions with his hips without actually touching Danny.

Danny looked up at him and his big grin and laughed, “I don’t think so,” he smiled back and gently batted his hand away.

“Of course not,” Zaden laughed nervously and took his hand away quickly, “I was only kidding.”

Zaden returned to his side of the bed and grumbled quietly, “If you change your mind…”

Danny ignored him, the idea was tantalising, there had been undeniable sexual tension between them since he’d introduced himself, and after this morning… but it was hard for Danny to separate in his mind where the lines of his and Fen’s relationship were. It was just too weird right now, and with him missing, he couldn’t make it feel right.

***

Danny awoke suddenly to the moon shining brightly in his face, he uncomfortably hot and sweaty. The room filled with Zaden’s snores, he was even louder than Fen. Danny threw off the blanket to get some cool night air, he turned over to block the moonlight from his vision but when he closed his eyes, it felt like the moonlight was tingling on his back as if it was pulling at his skin ever so gently. Danny finally acquiesced to the odd light, he tiptoed out of bed and looked out the window. There just outside the tavern patio where Zaden and Danny had been earlier, he saw a woman. A human woman. Danny’s heart leapt in his chest, it looked like his mother, she was looking around as if lost.

 _Here in Uruth?!_ Danny opened his mouth to speak but words wouldn’t come, finally after many feigned attempts he was able to say Zaden’s name, it pierced the air in the room, which felt full of electricity. Zaden didn’t reply, his snores continued as if he’d said nothing. The woman suddenly looked up, directly at Danny. Here eyes were like laser beams in the night, Danny felt as if he were with her, right next to her.

He slammed his palms on the window, “Mom!” he shouted.

Suddenly he was outside, in front of her, looking directly at her. But there was something wrong with her face, it was pale and cracked as if it was made of tapestry. Danny gulped. She opened her mouth, a black hole in her visage, it grew larger and larger until her face stretched around the hole, creating a gaping void, empty and raw.

Danny felt breath pulling into the void as it consumed the entire shape of the thing that looked like his mother. His instinct to run was completely overwhelmed by a paralysis that had taken ahold of his body. He fought his mind for control, tell himself to wake up, to move, to walk away or run away, but he couldn’t make his limbs do anything.

Suddenly he was aware of someone behind him, muffled yelling, “Danny! No! Get away from there!”

Danny was able to just turn his head enough to see a large red blur reaching for him.

His heart skipped a beat, _Zaden!_

Black tendrils reached from the void and grabbed Danny pulling him into it’s cold center and everything went black.

## 16.

Danny awoke, in a room, on a soft but musty bed, his head pounding, his mouth was dry as dirt. At first he couldn’t make out his surroundings because it as so dark. The room was pitch black except for a bright white line to his right. He tried to stand but sank back onto the bed dizzily, adjusting his eyes to the light. As his feet touched the cold floor he realized he wasn’t wearing his clothes, he was in some sort of simple shift, that barely came to his knees and hung low around his neck.

At the end of the bed was a wool blanket which he grabbed and wrapped around himself, attempting to stand again, slowly. He walked toward the beam of light, as he neared, he realized it was a curtain. He pulled it open and was hit by blinding moonlight, he squinted until his eyes finally adjusted to the assault.

The curtain revealed a giant glass window that jutted out from the room, with an ornate gothic design. From the glass he could see that he was very high up in some sort of tower in a castle. It was black stone and had jagged towers that looked like _Hogwarts_ if it had been attacked by a dragon, parts of it were left with roofs or entire floors missing. From his vantage he could see snowy mountain tops in the distance and a very large forest, through the night haze he could make out the lights of settlements, and a patch in the forest center was lit. It was enough to trigger vertigo, Danny stepped away from the window.

 _That must be Graendal,_ thought Danny.

The room was stone and austere, only the bed with white blankets and canopy, a huge silver gilded mirror and a simple nightstand made up the decor. There was a large stone goblet on the nightstand, Danny was so thirsty. He went to it and looked inside, the liquid was clear, he sniffed it first. It had no odor besides that of water, so he cautiously took a sip. One sip turned into gulps as he quenched his thirst.

Next to where the goblet sat was a piece of bread and a slice of cheese on a ceramic plate. Danny gobbled them up hungrily, his stomach barren since he’d emptied it earlier… _that night?_ He wasn’t sure, time had gotten distorted since he’d had drinks with Zaden.

 _Then what happened?_ He retraced the night, to the creature that looked like his mother, the void, Zaden calling for him, then… _Here, wherever ‘here’ is,_ he thought.

After he’d eaten and drank the water, he inspected the room further, walking carefully by the large gilded mirror. He was afraid to see his reflection in it, lest this nightmare solidify itself in with his self image, somehow physically inserting himself into it. He could hear nothing outside of the reverberations from his muted cold footsteps. The walls were painted a silvery grey color, there were ornate mouldings decorating the room, and unlit candelabra on tall silver pedestals that looked similar to the mirror.

There was a door, painted like the rest of the room, _And human-sized_ , Danny noted.

He immediately went to the door, and jerked the handle using his body weight to push the door. To his surprise, the door opened and he fell out landing on a dingy carpet. It smelled smokey, like there had been a fire here once, a cloud of fine dust flew up in his eyes. He rubbed them, getting up and dusting himself off.

He was in a large hallway with vaulted ceilings, it looked the same to his left as it did to his right. Old tapestries lined the hall, the one directly in front of him was decayed and moth-eaten, leaving the person in it missing half their face. It was a woman, wearing a yellow dress, highly decorated, she looked oddly familiar to Daniel but he thought it might just be that he hadn’t seen any humans in so long.

He decided that going somewhere was better than standing still so he arbitrarily chose to go right and walked down the hall to the end. Where he found, another hall, that looked almost the same as the previous hall, windowless with old tapestries in various states of distress. At the center of this hall was another door, like the one he’d left. Danny looked at the tapestry and saw the same woman in the yellow dress.

A cold sweat formed on his forehead, _Did I get turned around somehow?_ he ran to the end of the hall and looked to his left, to see another similar hall, he looked behind him, _This is crazy,_ he thought frantically.

He walked briskly to the middle of the hall, and saw yet again the door and the woman in the yellow dress, her right eye looking now like it was taunting him with a glimmer of amusement. He tried the door, it was unlocked and inside, was the bed and the goblet and plate from before. He ran to the nightstand to make sure it was, and he could see the crumbs from when he’d eaten the bread earlier. He held the plate with both hands shaking, then put it down.

His heart was racing, he took deep breaths to calm himself, _I could get back into bed, wait it out, or…_ he looked at the mirror.

It drew him in with his dark allure, but he feared it for reasons unknown to himself. He slowly walked to the mirror, mustering all the bravery he could. As he stood in front of it, he saw… his reflection.

 _Of course,_ he sighed, _just a mirror._

He looked back up, examining the shift that someone or _something_ , had dressed him in. It was nothing special, but it was certainly too short, he could feel the breeze on his balls as he moved because it was so short. Suddenly he noticed a shadow growing behind him, he gasped. Almost tripping over himself he spun around, instinctively going into the stance Fen had taught him. He whispered the words and made the signs for the smoke spell.

Mystic vapor filled the room, along with a horrible laughter. It was a crone’s laughter like something out of a dark fairy tale, which Danny supposed, made sense.

“Very impressive,” her voice wasn’t as harsh as her laugh, in fact Danny thought it sounded sort of like one of his professors voices, back at Dorshire, “You might be from Earth after all.”

 _Earth?!_ Danny was about to ask a question but decided to use his chance to turn and run for the door instead.

Outside the door, he was suddenly in a different hallway than before, this one much larger and much taller, with beams of moonlight streaming through the rafters. At the end of it was a dais with two statues standing next to a throne with a woman in a long black dress and hat that made her look like some sort of deranged nun. Danny turned around again, the door was gone, instead behind him as a great atrium, two hideous black creatures stood guard.

Danny recognized them from the Veilwood, _Owlbears,_ he thought, horrified, _does that mean, she’s...?_

He turned back to the woman on the dias and said her name as if it held some sort of power, “Seethla!”

“You’ve heard of me then,” she said sounding grateful for the recognition, she gestured with her finger for Danny to come closer.

He stepped closer to the dias, with nowhere else to go. As he closed in, he realized that the statues next to the throne we in fact, living creature… minotaurs it looked like. Their giant muscles gleamed in the moonlight, they held giant glaives at perfect symmetrical angles which is what made Danny thing they were statues.

She noticed Danny looking at one of them, “Minatours,” she said, “Not as friendly as demons, but certainly more _obedient,_ ” she said obedient with a hint of disdain.

“Do you like them?” she asked looking up at them, “I think they like you.”

One of them snorted and turned its head slightly to eye Danny, making him jump. Its eyes were totally inhuman, it looked just like a bull head with large curved horns on a human body, white fur covered it’s massive shoulders and formed a triangular pattern on his human-looking chest with a black diamond. He was completely naked for a leather singlet that wrapped around his shoulders, chest and oversized cock. It was even bigger than Zaden’s. The other looked much the same, but with black fur and a white diamond pattern on his chest.

He tried to stand straight and act brave, as if acting might make him less scared, and to an extent, it worked, “You know of Earth?”

“I know of many places,” she riddled, “But Earth…” she exaggerated her pauses, either for dramatic effect or because she was thinking about how much information she wanted to divulge, “Earth is a nexus, like Uruth, but on a totally different plane. If you were able to make the jump from Earth, you must hold incredible power.”

“But I don’t know how I got here,” replied Danny, “And I just want to go back.”

“Go back?” Seethla laughed, the cruelty seeping into her voice again, “Oh Danny, you’ve only just arrived.”

“How do you know my name?” Danny asked.

“The birds told me,” she said.

Danny wasn’t sure if this was an idiom or not.

“Nothing goes without my noticing in the Veilwood,” she said, “I own the forest.”

“No one _owns_ the forest,” said Danny indignantly, “it can’t be owned. The guardians make sure of that.”

“That’s what you think,” she said with a hint of anger, “I’ve had centuries to lay my roots in the Veilwood, right under the noses of those pesky demons.”

“So what do you need with me?” asked Danny.

She paused and looked at him then stood to cross the dias dramatically, her long black dress trailed behind her still draping the throne, “Curious…” she changed the subject, “Earth is supposed to be devoid of magic, it was an experiment, cast out from the other Realms by the Elder Gods, and yet here you are… if not by magic, then how?”

“I told you. I don’t know how I got here, it just… happened” Danny said letting his frustration carry him.

“Suppose you don’t,” Seethla turned on her heel, “But you’ve learned magic here… so it must be possible for Earth humans to learn,” she stared Danny down, “You must have great potential.”

Danny stared back, “The only reason I know any of that stuff is because of what Fen taught me…” _and what he_ gave _me,_ Danny thought trying not to reveal too much.

“Right, the demon that found you, Danny,” she implored, “I can teach you so much more, they’ve taught you dirt magic. Those demons are a rot upon the forest.”

Danny could see where this was going, obviously Seethla had some sort of issue with the demons, she wanted him to … _help get rid of them? But I’m just a nobody, I have no power._

“Danny,” she kept using his name in a cloying way that got on his nerves every time he said it, “Do you know how your _friend_ Fen, was summoned?”

Danny remembered something about a pact with the orcs, and needing a soul, and Fen avoiding the subject. He didn’t say anything.

“Sacrifice,” she said darkly and added, “Human sacrifice.”

Danny’s mind spun, he’d guessed but didn’t want it to be true. Seethla saw that he’d been affected by the revelation.

“They need to be stopped,” she said, “They are a menace and the products of a murderous legacy held up by the orcs to hold their power in the Veilwood.”

Danny found himself questioning everything he’d heard and everything he’d felt with Fen and Zaden, he suddenly felt sick, _How could they have kept this from me?_

But then he looked into Seethla’s eyes, he could tell she wasn’t giving him the whole story either. Everyone here seemed to be out to manipulate his thoughts and he still wasn’t sure to what end.

There was a difference though Danny thought, _Fen protected me, he saved me. She captured me, she impersonated my mother somehow and brought me to this horrible place._

Danny stood his ground and said something that felt right but he instantly regretted, “I won’t help you.”

“You fool!” she said, an icy anger filling her eyes, she looked to one of her minotaur minions, “Take him to his room, do what you want to him,” she gestured at Danny, “perhaps a little _subjugation_ will help you come to your senses.”

Danny did not like the sound of that, he turned to run but the two minotaurs were lightning fast, they grasped him and held him up by his arms. He struggled as they dragged him out of the throne room and up a long flight of winding steps. The beasts started blankly at him as he struggled in their arms, he could smell their rank breath but could sense no other emotion from them. They held their huge glaives on either side, they looked sharp and dangerous, Danny was sure they were experts with them.

Danny stopped struggling as it became apparent that his effort was futile, _I should save my energy for when I need it,_ he thought.

They entered the room and tossed Danny on the bed, his shift flew over his head exposing his lower half, he quickly threw it back down and got off the bed, standing ready to get into position for the one spell he knew, his one glimmer of hope.

Before he could start the incantation, one of the two grabbed him by the throat with his massive arm and forced him back down on the bed. Danny’s heart pounded, he tried to scream but couldn’t make any noise with the minotaur’s giant fist wrapped around his neck. Danny started seeing spots when the beast released the pressure.

 _It wants me awake for this,_ thought Danny at which point he gave in, he let his body go loose thinking the best way out of this situation was through it, _I’m about to be raped by minotaurs,_ he thought disdainfully. He wished desperately to be home, or with Fen, anywhere but here.

The other minotaur approached then bed, although it looked like it had a normal human cock when it was flaccid, it’s horrid member stretched far beyond the foreskin sheathing it, doubling in size, it was black and slimy and it oozed on the floor from it’s tip. Danny’s eyes went wide, the creature returned only a blank stare. The one who had choke slammed him got back on the bed, grabbed him and flipped him over pulling his shift up so Danny’s ass was exposed to the cool air. 

He braced himself, _I could die like this,_ thought Danny in horror _._

Its two giant hands held his shoulders down and he felt the horrible warmth of its beastial fallice graze his anus.

Just then, glass exploded into the room, Danny covered his head to keep the glass from his eyes, then looked up as a giant thud shook the room. Suddenly the beast was off him, Danny rolled to the pillows and did his best to protect himself with them. Before he saw anything else a giant blood splatter created an arc on the blankets like some sort of macabre calligraphy.

When Danny realized who had smashed through the window his heart skipped a beat, Fen stood, wielding his daggers with the grace of a ballet dancer, on the floor lay the minotaur that had been just inches from raping Danny, it’s throat cut open.

The other minotaur made a horrible noise somewhere between a human scream and a pig’s squeal. He charged at Fen with his glaive, coming straight for his stomach. An axe came flying across the room and hit the creature square between the horns, Fen was able to dodge the attack and the creature kept running until it fell into the mirror, smashing it to pieces. Zaden stood at the other end of the axe thrown, he went quickly retrieved his axe from the minotaur’s split head.

Danny was speechless… tears streamed down his face.

“Danny!” yelled Fen, running to the bed and grabbing Danny, hugging him close, “I thought I’d lost you!”

Danny couldn’t really move, he wanted to hug back but he felt too weak to move. He was completely stunned.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you? Did they…” anger filled Fen’s eyes, white hot like Danny had never seen.

“No, Fen,” Danny was able to muster, “I’m okay, thank you for coming.”

“Okay lovebirds,” Zaden chimed in, wiping the blood from his axe on the sheets of the bed, “I don’t think we have much time, Seethla will know what we’ve done and I don’t think she’ll be too happy about us, you know, killing her favorite pets.”

“Danny, can you hang on to me? We have to do something, I need you to hold on to me no matter what,” Fen looked directly into Danny’s eyes.

Danny nodded, and held on to Fen as tight as he could, wrapping himself around his body and grasping at his tunic, Fen held him too, his big arm around Danny’s waste.

“What are we–” Fen started running as Danny asked, toward the window.

“Here we go!” He yelled, followed by a high pitched whistle.

They jumped, Danny felt like his stomach didn’t leave the room, his heart stopped they fell toward the earth from the tower. Danny could see the trees below their feet, and then suddenly, feathers.

The sudden force knocked the wind out of Danny, Fen still clinging to him tightly. The wind carried Danny’s tears off of his face. The night filled with the sharp cry of whatever creature had rescued them and it was music to Danny’s ears.


End file.
